Tardigrade
by JaliceCookie
Summary: Not only Micheal worries about the Tardigrade - but also another crew member of the Discovery, which normally should not leave her quarters - visit to the lonely animal ...


Tardigrade

"Nobody likes to be locked away - but try to explain that to the captain"

Faline Whitlook had been sitting on the floor for a while now, watching the Tardigrade - locked away by the fragile machinery and safety of the crew members, sitting in this small cage-like room, angry everything and with the world. Faline could not blame the animal, nobody wanted to be locked away and most of all, nobody should not lock away animals.

"You'd rather be somewhere else, right?"

Faline get a buzzing as an answer from the animal and she watched as the big animal kept trying, running against the safety precautions, getting frustrated by the fact that he was not progressing.

"I think it's great how you hurt the Klingons - they are dangerous and - evil"

Felina once sighed quietly and was basically glad that Captain Lorca had ordered this animal to remain on the Discovery for research purposes - yet the young woman did not likeit, that the tardigrade imprisoned looked , unhappy and angry at the same time.

The only good thing was that he had managed to switch the Klingons out on the USS Glenn - because they could not be nice. A naive thought, Felina knew that, but how could she think otherwise, after that what was done to her.

She had flown there with a medical freighter after the battle on the double star, in order to be able to help with her doctor team the injured - this persons, who had not been directly consecrated to death.

The Klingons had kidnapped her and experimented with her body - Felina did not know exactly what they had done, but at some point she had woken up and her body was that of a small, perhaps just 5 year old girl - she had been left on a deserted planet left to die.

If the USS Discovery had not recorded her life signs and Lorca did not decide to save her, Felina would not be sitting here now.

"The captain could still see that you do not like it here - maybe I can let you out?"

Another wonderful naive thought and Whitlook knew that of course, it was not possible, but possibly worth a try.

"No, better not - otherwise someone else will find out that I am here," added the blonde and finally decided against this project.

The Tardigrade had stopped running for a moment against the invisible fences and was beginning to sniff in the air it had to breathe, and it looked as if it were looking straight in the direction of Felina. She didn´t noticed it for some time and it surprised her, that this big animal now apparently showed a minimal interest in her.

"Are you alone too?", Felina asked and slid closer to the safety precaution and would have liked to stretch out her little hand carefully - but then she would quickly end up back in the infirmary at , as she would prefer it.

"We can be alone together, I could keep you company, and you can join me with your company - the two of us are different," she said cautiously and felt sorry for the animal. Of course, they were all in an awkward position - the Klingons were enemies whose next steps it was impossible to predict, and something like peace would not come in the near future.

"I got some peanut butter cookies from Miss Tilly- would you like one?"

Sylvia Tilly, with whom Felina got along well with , had brought her past these days and maybe the Tardigrade liked peanut butter biscuits.

Just when the little blonde had one of these biscuits in her hand and showed the animal, it suddenly reacted aggressively and made a loud growl. Felina did not understand why and wanted to ask the Tardigrade this question when she heard the door to the Scientific Room open and cursed in thought - there were not many opportunities to hide here.

"The tastes really great - really," said Felina softly whispering to the Tardigrade and heard that the door closing with a hiss. But the words did not bother the animal much.

The broken young woman heard a sigh behind her and she had a certain foreboding of who that might be, but still did not turn around and tried to understand - why the microscopic being - that was a meter tall - so reacted to other present - determined It blamed her for his situation and Felina could not blame the animal - it always connects those who keep you in captivity - always with something negative. Just as Felina connected the Klingons with something bad.

"You know that you should not be here, right?"

Slowly Felina turned around and looked up at Paul Stamets.

"Yes - but ..", Felina wanted to take some air for a beautiful speech, how unfair it is for the Tardigraden and that he is certainly unhappy, but Paul did not let the little blonde to speak.

"Nothing but Felina - you should be in your quarters, now go before Lorca finds out," Paul replied, nodding towards the door.

"I am only allowed to come out of my quarters with adults or when someone is calling fo me - this is unfair! The Tardigrade is all alone - I just wanted to keep it company", justify its presence.

"It's not at my right to judge what's fair and what's not fair for you," Paul said, giving the broken woman another stern look.

"I know - but, may I not stay a little longer ... Please Commander Stamets - the Tardigrade is otherwise - all alone and sad"

Felina knew Paul could actually liked her - and he was one of the few who usually did not see that in the young Whitlook, which she outwardly pretended to be. But he, too, had to abide by the protocol and rules that were in place - and Captain Lorca's instructions to Felina were clear - Do not leave your quarters without permission and or without an adult. That Felina had often brought in the argument that she was basically adult - did not count for him. So she could not soften Paul with her childish green eyes this time.

"Sorry I came here without permission - I'm going back to my quarters now," Felina said after a few seconds surrendering, stood on bagged the bag with the biscuits back into her shoulder bag, before she snapped this and gave the Tardigraden one last look.

"You want to be as free as I wish to be" Felina whispered and then slowly left the scientific room, not hearing exactly how the Tardigrade made a sound that sounded like a call, a call she asked her to stay. Maybe he would at least be satisfied with the wish to be free soon.

Because Felina knew that if she could not convince Lorca of the opposite, that she just was not like the 'other children' who had only nonsense in their heads and could be a danger to the ship - what you hear so, that many children Just can not afford the necessary discipline - so it was no wonder that they had nothing to look for on a ship like the Discovery. Few minutes later Felina walked down the corridors of the ship hoping not to cross Commander Saru - because he is always very good at keeping her away from what might happen to her, if she walks illegally in the corridors of the Discovery .

 **The End**


End file.
